Gov’t studies underground passage to remove crossings at Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção Park

Macau is exploring an underground passage at Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção Park that would remove surface crossings, with engineers supporting the park as a pilot for wider underground development.

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, revealed during a Legislative Assembly (AL) session that the government has already developed preliminary plans and conducted feasibility studies for underground space development in the NAPE district.

The proposal involves building an underground pedestrian passage connecting the parking garage to the adjacent square at Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção Park and surrounding commercial buildings, replacing surface-level pedestrian crossings and easing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles.

He also noted that, in response to the low utilization of the underground space at Praça de Ferreira do Amaral, authorities conducted a site inspection late last year in coordination with the Transport Bureau (DSAT), the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) and the Public Works Bureau (DSOP), with plans to improve traffic efficiency through minor modifications and optimized traffic management measures.

In the longer term, the government aims to integrate Praça de Ferreira do Amaral with the proposed A9 station of the light rapid transit (LRT) South Line in Nam Van, connecting the two major transport hubs to enhance overall efficiency.

Some have reportedly suggested that the government start with a pilot underground connection project at the park before exploring a broader plan to link the underground spaces of surrounding commercial buildings, piers and tourist attractions, thereby improving pedestrian movement from NAPE to the ZAPE area and even the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal.

Acknowledging that the annual Grand Prix circuit limits the feasibility of underground vehicle tunnels in the area in the short term, they believe prioritizing an underground pedestrian network would be more practical.

They suggested that tunnel-boring technology could be used to create pedestrian passages connecting the underground parking garage to adjacent commercial buildings, alleviating conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles and easing chronic traffic congestion.

Another commentator noted that the district is home to numerous commercial buildings, with large numbers of pedestrians crossing at surface-level crossings during peak hours, causing serious conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles and often requiring police to direct traffic. They said that resolving technical issues such as tunnel construction and entrance design would make the proposal an excellent option. While the ZAPE-NAPE area has multiple underground parking garages, some of which are already interconnected, providing a natural foundation for large-scale underground space integration, the current lack of connections between the parking garages and adjacent commercial buildings means that these underground resources remain largely underutilized.